Should Shatner return in some way in the next film?

[FarStrider]

No.

 

[Danlav05]

If Paramount has removed Orci because of Shatner,

Is there anything hinting at that? Maybe they didn't feel the story was strong enough - I think a major factor is Shatner's reluctance, be it due to money, the size of the role or suitability.

I'll be honest It's something I'd love if it happened, but there's a part of me just saying 'no', time has passed.

 

[Kor]

He should play Samuel T. Cogley, in a nod to Shatner's role on that lawyer show.

Kor

 

[The Wormhole]

If Paramount has removed Orci because of Shatner, among other things,

I suspect Orci was removed because he really is a terrible writer.

 

[Khan 2.0]

Orci wanted to write and direct a story about Shatner as Kirk Prime (and Nimoy returning as Spock Prime before he died) interacting with Pine and Quinto in a Days of Future Past?/Yesterdays Enterprise?/City on the Edge? style plot which involved the dilemma of to correct the timeline or not (Basically something that sounded more interesting and 'anniversary' than Kirk vs Krall and Co). I suspect the studio didn't want an untried director and orci must've held firm so it all collapsed and they had to start again with a new script (as Orci probably didn't want to proceed as writer only)

 

[Dukhat]

See that avatar photo directly above mine? It was in STB. That's all the tribute Shatner and the old crew need for these new films. It couldn't have been done any better. Having Shat back now would be completely pointless.

 

[Danlav05]

Orci wanted to write and direct a story about Shatner as Kirk Prime (and Nimoy returning as Spock Prime before he died) interacting with Pine and Quinto in a Days of Future Past?/Yesterdays Enterprise?/City on the Edge? style plot which involved the dilemma of to correct the timeline or not (Basically something that sounded more interesting and 'anniversary' than Kirk vs Krall and Co). I suspect the studio didn't want an untried director and orci must've held firm so it all collapsed and they had to start again with a new script (as Orci probably didn't want to proceed as writer only)

Here was the rumoured premise of Orci's Star Trek XIII:

The Federation, Vulcans and a new alien would have been fighting over a time travel device - the Vulcans wanted to use it to go back and save their planet.

[Shatner’s] scene will have him meeting Chris Pine. Also in that scene: Zachary Quinto and Leonard Nimoy…it’ll be future alt-timeline Kirk and Spock. Basically the scene will have Kirk and Spock interacting with their future selves.

Here's a scene written for Shatner from the 2009 movie:

ALTERNATE SCENE B

SPOCK PRIME
Then I ask that you do yourself a
favor… put away logic, and do what
feels right. The world you’ve inherited
lives in the shadow of incalculable
devastation… but there’s no reason you
must face it alone.

And from around his neck, he removes the PENDANT that
until now, we’ve only caught glimpses of. Places it on
the table beside his younger self. The feeling in his
eyes is profound…

SPOCK PRIME (CONT’D)
This was a gift to me. Representing…
a dream. One we were unable to fulfill.
(softly)
The way you can now.

And moves to the door. Stops. Offers the VULCAN SALUTE:

SPOCK PRIME (CONT’D)
As my customary farewell would appear
oddly self serving, I will simply say…
good luck.

Their eyes hold. Spock turns, disappearing into the
corridor. Young Spock stares at the empty doorway a
beat, his mind a jumble of thoughts. Looks to the
pendant… and realizes it’s a HOLO-EMITTER. After
considering a beat, he hits an activation button and a
MOVING HOLOGRAPHIC MESSAGE materializes before him:

CAPTAIN JAMES T. KIRK. WILLIAM SHATNER. As always,
brash, wry, confident — and SINGING:

KIRK/ SHATNER
Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to
you…
(stops, grins)
I know I know, it’s illogical to
celebrate something you had nothing to do
with, but I haven’t had the chance to
congratulate you on your appointment to
the ambassadorship so I thought I’d seize
the occasion… Bravo, Spock — they tell
me your first mission may take you away
for awhile, so I’ll be the first to wish
you luck… and to say…
(beat, emotional)
I miss you, old friend.

… and we’re PUSHING IN on Young Spock, taking in the
image of Kirk’s future self, the message, but above all —
the clear, unquestionable friendship these two men had…

INT. CORRIDOR – CONTINUOUS

As Spock Prime walks off down the corridor, he passes
right by a man conferring with a nurse — the man pauses,
turns… it’s SAREK. Suddenly overcome by a feeling that
the stranger who’s just passed him is… oddly familiar.

KIRK/SHATNER (V.O.)
I suppose I’d always imagined us…
outgrowing Starfleet together. Watching
life swing us into our Emeritus years…

INT. STARBASE ONE – HANGAR – ETERNAL NIGHT

MUSIC BUILDING — glass walls reveal THE ENTERPRISE at
dock, UTILITY CRAFTS floating around it, repairing.
Standing at attention in rows, THE ENTERPRISE CREW —
over four hundred of them wearing DRESS UNIFORMS — TRACK
DOWN the faces, all proud:

KIRK/SHATNER (V.O.)
I look around at the new cadets now and
can’t help thinking… has it really been
so long? Wasn’t it only yesterday we
stepped onto the Enterprise as boys?
That I had to prove to the crew I
deserved command… and their respect?

And we STOP ON YOUNG KIRK. Composed, focused, proud. A
man. And to every fan’s delight, finally wearing his
YELLOW SHIRT. The FEDERATION COMMANDANT stands at a
podium:

COMMANDANT
This assembly calls Captain James
Tiberius Kirk…

Kirk breaks from formation, pivots, marches down the
hangar — past UHURA… SULU… CHEKOV… SCOTTY. All
Beaming. Notably absent, is Spock. Kirk ascends the
stairs, snaps to attention:

COMMANDANT (CONT’D)
Your inspirational valor and supreme
dedication to your comrades are in
keeping with the highest traditions of
service and reflect utmost credit to
yourself, your crew, and the Federation.
By Starfleet Order 28455, you are hereby
directed to report to Commanding Officer,
USS Enterprise, for duty as his relief.

Kirk turns. Walks to… PIKE. In a wheelchair now,
wearing an ADMIRAL’S UNIFORM. Overnight, his hair’s
turned totally grey — but despite his trauma, his
pride’s overwhelming. They SALUTE each other:

KIRK
I relieve you, Sir.


PIKE
… I am relieved.

He opens a BOX in his lap — glorious in repose, a MEDAL:

PIKE (CONT’D)
And as Fleet Admiral, for your… unique
solution to the Kobayashi Maru, it’s my
honor to award you with a commendation
for original thinking.

Pike containing a smirk, pins the medal to Kirk’s
chest…

PIKE (CONT’D)
(a touch choked)
Congratulations, Captain.

KIRK
Thank you, Sir.

Kirk turns to the crowd. Eyes shining. WILD APPLAUSE.
OUR MUSIC SOARS. Bones leans in to Sulu, rolling his
eyes:

BONES
… Same ship, different day.

As Kirk rejoins his crew for hugs and congratulations, we
go to the BACK of the hangar… SPOCK PRIME. Watching.
Moved beyond words. He turns and leaves them to it… as
he goes…

KIRK/SHATNER (V.O.)
I know what you’d say — ‘It’s their turn
now, Jim…’ And of course you’re
right… but it got me thinking:

INT. STARFLEET HOSPITAL – EARTH – DAY

Our montage comes full circle as we END on Kirk’s
transmission:

KIRK/SHATNER
Who’s to say we can’t go one more round?
By the last tally, only twenty five
percent of the galaxy’s been chartered…
I’d call that negligent. Criminal even —
an invitation. You once said being a
starship captain was my first, best
destiny… if that’s true, then yours is
to be by my side. If there’s any true
logic to the universe… we’ll end up on
that bridge again someday.

Stops, grins. Because this is the part he needs to say
most…

KIRK/SHATNER
Admit it, Spock. For people like us, the
journey itself… is home.

Young Spock’s face. Lost in feelings that flood through
him.

 

[Smellmet]

See that avatar photo directly above mine? It was in STB. That's all the tribute Shatner and the old crew need for these new films. It couldn't have been done any better. Having Shat back now would be completely pointless.

This. Exactly this. Let Star Trek move on for crying out loud!

 

[Malaika]

no.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

In short: no.

Star Trek Beyond gave us a nice tribute and farewell to the original crew with the photo. Those characters now belong to this new cast until the next one replaces them.

 

[F. King Daniel]

While we'll likely not know the full story for a long time if ever, I suspect Nimoy's failing health was chief of the reasons for Orci's ST3 script being dropped.

 

[urbandefault]

Only if he's playing a centaur. Shatner likes riding horses, so playing a sort of horse man is the perfect role for him. Have the Enterprise visiting a planet of centaurs, and he's the centaur leader. Then throw in some stuff with centaur night clubs, and Kirk getting a centaur STD, which causes Centaur Shatner to laugh in his face. So yeah, Centaur Shatner would be great in the next movie.

What? We aren't seriously considering the idea of bring back Prime Kirk, are we? Now that would just be silly.

Jack Sagittarius: Half man, half horse's ass.

 

[Danlav05]

While we'll likely not know the full story for a long time if ever, I suspect Nimoy's failing health was chief of the reasons for Orci's ST3 script being dropped.

I hope the full synopsis of that draft could be revealed some day - maybe IDW could do it as a comic?

 

[Jax]

no no no

 

[ralph]

"The Federation, Vulcans and a new alien would have been fighting over a time travel device - the Vulcans wanted to use it to go back and save their planet.
[Shatner’s] scene will have him meeting Chris Pine. Also in that scene: Zachary Quinto and Leonard Nimoy…it’ll be future alt-timeline Kirk and Spock. Basically the scene will have Kirk and Spock interacting with their future selves.

"Vulcans wanted to use it to come back and save their planet." It does not make sense to go back in time and save the planet (in J.J. Abrams movies). Star Trek 09 suggests that an alternate reality was created in a temporal incursion. It would not be possible to reinstate the Prime timeline.
Just as some believe that George Kirk's appearance in ST4 would be to erase Kelvin timeline.

 

[jaime]

Here was the rumoured premise of Orci's Star Trek XIII:



Here's a scene written for Shatner from the 2009 movie:

That's actually really good. I always assumed it would be high cheese. But that's really good.

 

[VOODOOXI]

If the next film is a time travel story (somehow it involves Kirk’s father) why not throw Shatner in if it can be done in a somewhat logical way?

The last film was a flop at the box office compared to the previous two films. What better way to bring positive media attention to the film than to bring Shatner in? The media would eat it up. Even if Shatner is in one scene it would buy loads of goodwill for the movie.

And if this is to be the last film (i assume the box office will have to improve for them to continue) why not end the series with one of the actors who started it all?

Bringing back Shatner is a no brainer.

 

[Danlav05]

When it was rumoured that Shatner & Nimoy would return as older NuKirk and Spock i literally imagined them wearing these uniforms, designed pre-2009 for Jeremy Grunloh's fan fiction reboot:

 

[Greg Cox]

Shatner has had two curtain calls already, in THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY and GENERATIONS. And we had that photo as a nostalgic 50th Anniversary tribute in BEYOND.

That's enough, I think.

 

[Ghel]

Agreed. Spock was something of a narrative necessity in "Star Trek" and I did like the small "memorial" sequences in Beyond, but I think that the new crew needs to have their own adventures without constant cameos of the original actors. They've been done well to date, but I also find that they pull you out of the moment and you tend to be saying "Hey, there's Shatner, etc." rather than being engrossed in the story. (As a side note, I found this to also be true in Kenneth Branagh's "Hamlet." The films would have been much better without cameos from Robin Williams, and Jack Lemmon. Their acting was fine, but the very presence of these actors in bit roles was jarring.)